The Other Brother (The Collision Series)

by Kristen Granata

  John charged toward me, but Charlotte mimicked what I had done and knocked into him as he passed her. He shoved her backwards with one hand, sending her tumbling. I continued to yank on the zip ties, ignoring the fatigued feeling in my muscles. Defeat was creeping into the place where my hope once was. How could I get Charlotte out of here if I couldn’t get myself out of this fucking chair?

  Tommy and John were both on their feet, but Charlotte wasn’t moving.

  “Get the car started,” John instructed. “I’m going to light this place up.”

  Tommy walked out, and John lifted his hand in front of his face to reveal a lighter, the flame dancing. The light illuminated his distorted face, and a triumphant grin spread wide. He tossed the lighter onto the floor, and the fire roared instantly.

  “Uh, John,” Tommy called from the door. “We have a problem.”

  John and I turned our heads in unison to find Tommy walking back into the bakery, his hands raised up to his ears. Behind him stood Charlotte’s father, pressing a gun to the back of Tommy’s skull. A tsunami of hope rushed over me.

  “Hey, Frankie boy. Nice of you to join us,” John said, sounding unfazed. “Now, you and your daughter can burn together.”

  “Let the kids go, and I won’t blow both of your brains out.”

  “Frank, there’s a pocket-knife in my pocket. Cut me free so I can get Charlotte out of here.”

  Frank walked around the men slowly. He cut one of my wrists free while aiming the gun at John the entire time.

  I cut my other hand free, followed by my ankles. I ran over to Charlotte and cut her loose, too.

  “You won’t shoot us,” John dared. “You don’t have it in you.”

  I scooped Charlotte up and carried her toward the door.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Tommy snarled behind me.

  “Tanner, watch out!” Frank shouted.

  Pain sliced through my back and I dropped to my knees, still cradling Charlotte in my arms.

  Charlotte

  I woke up, coughing uncontrollably. My eyes burned as I looked around the smoke-filled room. Tommy was lying on the floor several feet away from me. My heart sank when I spotted Tanner lying dangerously close to the fire. A small pool of blood formed beside his body, and I felt sick. Oh, God. No!

  “Not so tough without your gun, are you, Frank?”

  Frank? His name ripped through my body. On the other side of the flames, I saw my father. He was on his back on the ground while John stood over him with a gun pointed at his head. My gun.

  I wanted to curl in a ball and cry for help. The fire was so hot, it felt like my skin was melting. I could barely see, barely breathe. Tanner was knocked out, possibly dead, and my father was about to be shot right before my eyes. I said I would be prepared if they ever found me. I said I’d be ready for them. But I wasn’t.

  That’s when I remembered: I am not a victim. I’m a survivor. This was not the end of my story. This was my chance. I needed to do something. Anything.

  I got up and ran toward John as fast as I could.

  I twisted his arm the way TJ had taught me. The gun dropped from his hand and my father kicked it across the room. I kicked John’s knee, but he recovered quickly and took hold of my throat. I gasped for air. His grip around my neck was so tight, I could feel my eyeballs bulging out of my head.

  Dad stood and attempted to break John’s hold around my neck, but John simply shoved him to the ground. Dad hit his head on the counter on his way down. I felt light-headed from the lack of oxygen. I wasn’t going to be able to hold on for much longer.

  Don’t give up. You are not weak.

  I lifted my arms and jabbed my thumbs into John’s eyes with whatever strength I had left.

  “Ow! You bitch!” John’s hold on me loosened, so I squeezed his neck, digging my fingers into his flesh as if I was going to rip out his jugular. He finally released me, and I fell to the ground gasping for air. John bent over and clutched his throat.

  Get up! You don’t have time to waste!

  I kicked John in his kneecap again, and he collapsed in front of me. I took one of the chairs Tanner and I had been tied to and swung it at John’s head with all my might. Blood splattered from his mouth and he hit the floor, completely knocked out.

  I ran over to my father, taking his wrists in my hands, and pulled. Choking on the thick black smoke that filled the room, I ignored the tightening in my lungs. Just keep going. I dragged my father to the door, and didn’t stop until we were in the parking lot. The frigid air felt good against my sweaty body. I coughed, gasping for the fresh air. I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance. I hoped they were coming here.

  I tied my jacket to cover my nose and mouth and ran back inside to get Tanner. Just as I’d done with Dad, I took hold of Tanner’s arms and pulled. He was much heavier than my father, and it was a struggle to drag him to the exit. Blood smeared in a trail on the tile floor behind us. I couldn’t help but cry at the sight of it. I’m going to get you out of here, baby. Please be okay!

  When I emerged with Tanner, I dug his phone out of his pocket and called 911. The wailing sirens sounded closer, but I couldn’t be sure they were coming for us. I rattled off the address and dropped the phone onto the pavement. I looked back at the kitchen door, smoke billowing out of it. I have to go back in.

  My lungs were burning, but I knew I had to do this. It was the right thing to do. I couldn’t have their deaths on my hands. I couldn’t live with the guilt like I had for the past year.

  John was lying on the floor closest to the door. I grabbed him first, dragging him out as I had done twice already. Every muscle in my body was fatigued, but I couldn’t stop.

  Outside, several firetrucks were pulling into the parking lot. Two firefighters ran over to me when they saw me dragging John.

  “Miss, is there anyone else inside?”

  My throat burned when I tried to speak, and all I could do was cough. I nodded my head and held up one finger. Help was here. I had gotten Dad and Tanner out of the fire. My knees buckled under me.

  We were safe.

  Twenty-three

  Tanner

  “Mr. Brooks, you cannot get out of bed right now.”

  “The fuck I can’t.” I sat up, and surging pain split through my skull. The room tilted, and it felt like I was going to fall out of bed. I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped the rails next to me.

  The nurse sighed. “Like I said: You cannot get out of bed. You have a concussion, and you inhaled a lot of smoke. You need to rest right now. You can see your girlfriend later.”

  All I heard was constant beeping. That fucking beeping. I was about to get up and unplug every wire that could be responsible for the incessant sound. “I need to see if she’s okay.”

  “I promise you, she is in good hands. We are taking the very best care of her. Like you, she needs her rest.”

  “What about her father?”

  “He’s also in good hands. You’re all very lucky to be alive.”

  Alive. We were all alive. I was alive because of Charlotte. The pain in my head was too much to keep it up. I lay back and closed my eyes. I just need to close them for a minute. One minute, and then I’ll go find Charlotte.

  Charlotte

  I opened my eyes to the sound of beeping. I tried to move, but something heavy weighed me down. My chest burned, followed by involuntary coughing. Something was attached to my face. Where am I?

  “Hi, my sweet girl.”

  I turned my head to find Tanner curled up beside me on the bed. A hospital bed. I was in the hospital. Fragments of the night came back to me. John. Bakery. Fire. Dad.

  My eyes widened. “Where’s Dad?” I choked out before more coughing ensued. I tugged at the annoyance on my face.

  “Leave that on, baby. You need oxygen to help you breathe right now.” Tanner stroked my face with his hand. “Your dad is fine. I just checked on him a little while ago.”

  Tears stung my already b
urning eyes. “He’s okay?” My throat felt like I had swallowed a thousand razor blades.

  Tanner sat up, careful to not upset the tubes connected to me. He wore a bandage around his head, and his face was still stained with blood and soot. He reached over to get my water and the back of his hospital gown loosened, revealing a large bandage covering his shoulder blade.

  I touched a shaky hand to my mouth in an attempt to muffle a sob. Tanner almost died tonight. And it was because of me.

  “Don’t cry, baby. It’s okay. I’m here. Your dad is here. Everything is okay.” He lifted the oxygen mask and tilted the cup toward my lips. I gulped the water.

  A nurse popped her head through the doorway and heaved a sigh. “He’s in here, Mary. Never mind.” She sat her hands on her hips, giving Tanner a stern look. Her expression softened when she turned to me. “That’s one stubborn boyfriend you’ve got there, Ms. Thompson.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at Tanner for an explanation.

  He held his hands in the air. “Nurse Mary told me I could see my girlfriend later. It’s later.”

  The nurse fought a smile. “Mr. Brooks, you need to stay in bed until you’ve been cleared. You can’t go unhooking yourself from our machines.”

  My eyes widened, followed by more coughing.

  Tanner handed me the water again. “Look at her. She needs me. I’m fine. I had a CT scan, an MRI, and I’ve been stitched up.” He stretched his arms out wide. “Good as new.”

  The nurse rolled her eyes. “I’m giving you five minutes. If you’re not back in that bed, I’m calling security and having you handcuffed to it.”

  “Kinky.” Tanner grinned.

  I used the little strength I had to smack his arm.

  “Thank you, Ms. Thompson.” The nurse shook her head and turned back out the door.

  Tanner chuckled as he made himself comfortable beside me. He rested his head on my chest, and I raked my fingers through his matted hair.

  “Did Dad say anything when you saw him?”

  “He asked how you were. He has a concussion, but they have him on pain meds.”

  I struggled to swallow. “I can’t believe they came back.”

  “How did they find you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He looked at me, exuding nothing but love and sincerity. “You saved my life, Charlotte.”

  I shook my head. “You almost died because of me. Your family would’ve been devastated all over again.”

  “But I didn’t die. I’m right here. Everything is fine. Stop focusing on what happened, and just look at me. Look at me, Charlotte.”

  I lifted my eyes to meet his.

  “The nightmare is over. You get to put everything behind you, and move on with your life. No more fear. Everything you went through, every choice you made, has lead you to this very moment. If you hadn’t left Florida, we never would’ve met.”

  “Yeah,” I said, laughing once. “If you’d never met me, you wouldn’t be in this hospital bed.”

  “If I’d never met you, I don’t want to think about where I would be right now. I was angry and fucked up. Then, my dad died.” He shook his head. “You are the only good thing in my life. You saved me from the fire tonight, but you also saved me from my miserable life.”

  I always thought Tanner wouldn’t be able to love me if he knew the truth about my past. How could you love someone who left a man to die in a burning building? Now, my secrets were all out in the open. Tanner saw me for who I really was, yet he didn’t love me any less. I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t deserve him.

  I lay my head back on the pillow, but every time I closed my eyes to try to sleep, visions of Tanner bleeding on the bakery floor flashed in my mind. With dried blood on his face, a stab wound in his back, and black sooty smudges all over his skin, it was an image that would forever be burned into my memory.

  Tanner had almost died, and I was the reason why.

  * * *

  “What are you thinking about?” Dad asked, snapping me out of the broken record of self-loathing playing in my head.

  I offered him a half- smile from the chair beside his hospital bed. “Just how thankful I am that you and Tanner are all right. How do you feel?”

  “I’m fine.” He grunted as he sat up in the bed. “I wish you’d stop asking me that.” He looked me square in the eyes. “Now, tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”

  I shrugged, breaking eye contact. “I can’t help thinking that Tanner almost died because of me.”

  “How is any of this your fault?”

  “I decided to burn down our old bakery. I left John in there to die, and it was my idea to run. I started a new life, and put everyone who met me in danger. What if Tanner had died? How would I have been able to live with myself?”

  Dad’s eyebrows pressed together. “Charlotte, I am the reason that all of this happened. It all stems back to me and my poor decisions. You did what you could to survive. You can’t punish yourself for any of this. Tanner didn’t die. You saved him. You saved all of us.”

  I knew Dad was the first domino to set this whole situation into motion. However, my choices thereafter are what caused the events of last night. I was responsible for Tanner’s injuries. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  “Did you talk to the police yet?”

  I nodded. “I gave my statement earlier this morning.”

  “You’re a hero, Charlotte. Everyone’s been talking about it.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Everyone?”

  “The nurses. The police officers I gave my report to. They can’t believe you saved four men from a burning building. I was especially proud to tell them about the part when you stopped John from shooting me. Where did you learn those moves?”

  “I took a self-defense class. Somehow, I think I always knew they’d come back to find me.”

  “Is that why you bought a gun?”

  I nodded. “How did you know where to find us?”

  “When I got home from work, I saw Tanner’s car in the parking lot. The door was open and it was still running, but he was nowhere to be found. That’s when I noticed the flowers on the pavement, and your purse in the grass. Something inside me knew. There was only one place you could be. Those men wanted revenge. Of course they would go to the new bakery. It was the only place that made sense.”

  “Back at square one again.”

  “One of the officers said as long as the damage isn’t structural, we’d be able to have it back up and running in no time.”

  “I wonder how long John and Tommy will be in jail for.”

  Dad shrugged. “Good riddance. It’s all over now. It’s all behind us.”

  Behind us.

  It’s over.

  They’re gone.

  It hadn’t truly sunk in. Not until now. All my guilt over Tanner almost dying had been the only thing consuming my thoughts. The adrenaline was wearing off. The aftershock was settling down. It hit me: nothing was holding me captive in my past.

  I could look back without regret.

  I could go back.

  Back to Florida.

  Carla.

  Twenty-four

  Tanner

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Tanner. Can you come outside for a minute?”

  Outside? Why was Charlotte outside my house at ten o’clock at night? She should be resting like the doctor advised. “Do you want to come in instead?”

  “No. I can’t stay long.”

  “Okay. Be right out.”

  I jogged to her car and sat in the passenger seat. “Everything okay? Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “Everything’s fine. I just wanted to tell you that I’m leaving for Florida early tomorrow morning.”

  “What?” It came out just as loudly as it exploded inside my head.

  “I’m going to visit Carla. Now that John and Tommy are out of the picture, I can finally go home.”

  Home? “You’re going for a visit
?”

  “Yes. Just for a week.”

  I breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Okay. Do you want me to come with you?”

  Charlotte covered my hand with hers. “No, but thank you for the offer. I haven’t been home in so long. I need to do this on my own.”

  Every time she said the word home, it sliced me like a sheet of paper—subtle, yet painful. “Well, have a safe trip.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  What if she didn’t want to come back? What if she didn’t come back? What if she missed her old life too much to return here to her new one?

  Fear gripped my heart as Charlotte leaned over the console and kissed my cheek.

  “I’ll see you when I get back.”

  All I could do was nod.

  Charlotte

  I collected my luggage and rolled it outside into the warm air. I breathed it deep into my lungs; it didn’t smell like garbage. I made a visor with my hand as I searched for Carla’s beat-up Toyota. The palm trees lining the street made me smile as I waited. Finally.

  Carla pulled up several minutes later. She flung her car door open and ran around the front end to where I was standing at the curb. Gripping my shoulders tightly, she stared at me as tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “I never thought I would see you again,” she whispered.

  I pulled her in for a long hug, unable to speak over the emotion in my throat.

  After a minute had passed, Carla pulled away from me, quick to wipe the evidence of her sentiment. I imagined how Mallory would’ve reacted in this situation, and I couldn’t help but smile. The two were so different, yet both had become my best friends.

  It was quiet on the ride to Carla’s. All I had told her when I called yesterday was that I was coming to see her, and that I would explain everything. One second, we were best friends dancing at prom; the next second, I’d vanished. The stoic expression on her face told me she was waiting for me to start talking.